Stage 15 of Tour de France 2026 took the peloton into the Alps for the first major mountain test, finishing atop the demanding Plateau de Solaison. Before the climbing began, Alpecin-Premier Tech controlled the race to lead Jasper Philipsen to the intermediate sprint. The Belgian outsprinted green j...

The body responsible for anti-doping in cycling has defended the nighttime tests carried out on Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France, saying they are part of "effective testing".On Sunday morning, ahead of stage 15, the pair were awoken Pogaar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG at 5am and Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike at 2am by testers from the International Testing Agency (ITA). The UCI's anti-doping rules, Article 5.2, reads: "Unless the rider has identified a sixty minute testing window between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., or has otherwise consented to testing during that period, the UCI will not test a rider during that period unless it has a serious and specific suspicion that the Rider may be engaged in doping." A spokesperson for the ITA confirmed the unusual tests on Sunday evening, and defended the decision to test in the night, after it was criticised by Pogaar, Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Pogaar said he accepted the tests if they were necessary.Evenepoel, the winner of stage 15, said: "It's pretty disrespectful. To be honest, if I had it, I would send my team to wake them up to feel how it is. It's something inhuman, it's something that we should not accept as athletes."Vingegaard crashed out of the stage following the nighttime test, which Pogaar suggested was partly caused by the disturbed rest. He said: "In my interview with France TV, it got me thinking that it could be also like a small percentage why he crashed because he probably didn't sleep good today."A spokesperson for the ITA said: "The International Testing Agency (ITA) has been entrusted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to implement its anti-doping program in an independent manner since 2021. The ITA can confirm that anti-doping controls were conducted overnight involving riders participating in the Tour de France."The ITA is conscious that night-time testing may be disruptive to riders' rest and recovery. Due consideration has therefore been given to minimise as much as possible the impact testing activities have on riders."However, the ITA, on behalf of the UCI, has the responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the cycling anti-doping program and the integrity of cycling races. As such, effective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable to occur outside standard daytime hours. "All testing activities conducted at the Tour de France and at any other international events, including decisions as to the specific timing of such tests, are carried out in accordance with the ITAs testing strategy and subject to the safeguards established under the World Anti-Doping Code, the UCI Anti-Doping Rules and French law, with due consideration for riders welfare, equity and fundamental rights."

Tom Pidcock was fined 400CHF (370, $500) and docked 20 seconds in the general classification of the Tour de France for pushing off a car on stage 15. The Pinarello Q36.5 rider was judged to have committed the offence twice during the stage, in which he spent more than 100km in the breakaway. Each offence carried a fine of 100CHF and a 10-second penalty in the general classification. Pidcock was also docked 30 points in the UCI rankings and eight points in the Tours mountains classification. The time penalty ultimately changed little for Pidcock, who is ninth in the overall standings going into Mondays rest day, nine minutes and five seconds clear of TotalEnergies rider Jordan Jegat in tenth. The last climb, the last 5km, I was crawling up, just trying to get to the top. Completely f***ed, he said after the stage, having crossed the line 13th, almost three minutes behind the winner atop the Plateau de Solaison, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). The Briton was part of the breakaway on Sunday for the third day in a row at the Tour. Im getting quite good at getting in the breakaways, he said. Has anyone ever been in the breakaway three days in a row in the top 10? I dont think so. Tadej can break loads of records but so can I. Pidcock was one of four riders fined on stage 15; Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) received a 500CHF (460, $620) fine for 'feeding on foot outside the feeding zone; Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) was fined 200CHF for a sticky bottle; and Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) was fined 200CHF for feeding from his team car in a fixed feeding zone. One other rider has been docked time at this year's Tour; Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) received a 20-second penalty on stage 10 for unauthorised feeding during the last 15km.

"The Best All Rounder that breaks all records" according to the Bates catalogue of the time!

After the final rest day, the Tour de France 2026 resumes on Tuesday, 21.07.2026, with the only individual time trial of this edition. It is 26.1 kilometres from vian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, a distinctive route that opens with a demanding second-category climb, continues with a long descent,...

Isaac Del Toro bounced back with an impressive ride on stage 15 of the Tour de France, reclaiming the white jersey after finishing third behind Remco Evenepoel and teammate Tadej Pogacar. The Mexican overcame a crash earlier in the stage and revealed afterward that he deliberately chose to fall rath...

Jonas Vingegaards Tour de France came to a devastating end after crashing on stage 15, with Visma-Lease a Bike's carefully planned strategy collapsing in an instant. After the finish, teammate Davide Piganzoli described the incident, suggesting a motorbike riding just ahead of the peloton may have...

When your sleep is ruined one night, maybe you are a little bit less concentrated in the descent. And his Tour is ruined

Paul Seixas lost the white jersey on stage 15 of the Tour de France, but the 19-year-old remains firmly in contention for a podium finish after another solid performance. Although Isaac del Toro gained enough time to take over the best young rider's jersey, the French sensation was encouraged by his...

The withdrawal of Jonas Vingegaard changed the complexion of the Tour de France overnight, and UAE Team Emirates - XRG quickly adapted its strategy on stage 15. While Remco Evenepoel claimed the stage victory, Tadej Pogacar sacrificed his own chances in the finale to help Isaac Del Toro move up the...